“Stressful, frustrating, nerve wracking.”
That's how Nadia Haywas and her husband Askold describe watching the frightening situation unfolding in Ukraine. Both have Ukrainian roots, and both are glued to the TV and to their phones these days, talking to family and friends there, bracing for the worst.
“They’re putting up a brave face to a great degree. Yeah, we’re okay, we’re fine…We’re cautious, we’re not going anywhere," said Askold.
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Most of the Ukrainian expats living in the San Diego area are connected through Ukrainian based Christian churches. The aggression of Russia is nothing new to them.
The most recent history of this conflict begins in 2014 when Russian separatists took over the Donetsk and Luhanks regions in eastern Ukraine.
“And since that time, since 2014, over 14,000 have been killed. 1.5 million have been internally displaced," said Nadia.
She said the world was asleep at the switch when that happened. Not anymore. Nadia gave President Biden high marks for his speech Tuesday, highlighting the unity of NATO and the European Union which is a source of some comfort for Ukrainians here.
“I would like to thank President Biden for his speech today," she said. Aswold echoed her thoughts, saying "He said the right things, he said strongly, firmly. He did not hesitate.”
But whatever help Ukraine gets from the outside, the Haywas’ said Ukrainians will not stand for Russian aggression. They will resist.
“Ukraine has been building up their military. Ukraine is set on protecting its freedom," Nadia said.
The Haywas' said Ukrainians will behave like some other people did more than 200 years ago; American revolutionaries who fought for freedom from Britain.
The fight of today is to preserve the freedom Ukraine has had since separating from the-then Soviet Union in 1991, a fight whose outcome is anything but certain.
